By IRNA
New York : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned a controversial film on Islam made by a Dutch politician, calling it “offensively anti-Islamic”.
Several Muslim countries have also condemned the film, a 15-minute polemic by the far-right MP Geert Wilder, which was posted online on Thursday.
Pakistan, Indonesia, Iran and Bangladesh were among those to protest.
The film sets verses from the Koran against a background of violent images from terror attacks.
“I condemn, in the strongest terms, the airing of Geert Wilders’ offensively anti-Islamic film,” Ban said in a statement.
“The right of free expression is not at stake here,” he added.
“Freedom must always be accompanied by social responsibility.” The EU’s Slovenian presidency said the film served no purpose other than “inflaming hatred”.
In Pakistan there were protests in several places on Friday against the film, while the government summoned the Dutch ambassador in Islamabad to lodge a protest.
Pakistani foreign ministry said the film was defamatory and “deeply offended” Muslim sentiments.
Pakistan said it told the Dutch ambassador that it was incumbent on the Netherlands to prosecute Wilders for defamation and deliberately hurting Muslim sentiments, according to IRNA reporter in Islamabad.
IRNA reporter in Kuala Lumpur said that Indonesia, also condemned the film, saying it was “misleading and full of racism”.
IRNA report from New Delhi said that The foreign ministry in Bangladesh issued a statement calling the film “unwarranted” and “mindless”.
Iran said it was blasphemous, anti-Islamic and heinous – a sign it said of deep hatred felt by Westerners towards Muslims.
In the Netherlands, the Dutch prime minister said the film wrongly equated Islam with violence.
“We reject this interpretation,” Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said shortly before its publication.
“The vast majority of Muslims reject extremism and violence and in fact the victims are often also Muslims,” Balkenende said according to IRNA reporter in Vienna.